DePaul’s Career Management for Accountants course has become one of the most successful and influential offerings at the School of Accountancy & MIS. With its robust mentoring program that pairs students with professionals in the industry, the course prepares students for careers in accounting by arming them with the tools and skills they need to navigate the business world. The curriculum has served as a model for the development of similar courses across the Driehaus College of Business and, most recently, as a launching pad for the school’s newest initiative—the Office of Student Success and Engagement.
Accountancy instructor Margaret Tower, who developed the course, is director of the new office that aims to advance DePaul’s accounting education beyond the classroom.
“We are formalizing and integrating our existing career preparation programs into one centralized effort, and building from there,” says Tower. “Industry professionals and accounting firms are eager to partner with us, and the student success office provides a structured way for us to collaborate and offer more learning opportunities to students.”
Established in the fall of 2018, the office has benefited from several Driehaus business alumni, including instructor Kent Klaus, Enrique Lopez, Julio Rodriguez and Linda Watson.
Preparing students for career success is the main objective of the office. From workshops and trainings to networking receptions, the office serves as a one-stop shop for students to access career guidance and support. Perhaps the most unique aspect of its programming is its emphasis on engaging the professional community as educators both inside and outside the classroom.
The executive-in-residence program, for instance, is one opportunity the office has created for students to connect with industry professionals.
“We already know the value of mentoring, as evidenced by the success of the career management course and the mentoring program there,” says Tower. “So we are trying to create other channels for students to learn directly from professionals, which will hopefully promote more mentoring relationships and expose students to more career paths within the profession.”
The program focuses on career development and discussion meetings with professionals who have at least five years’ experience at the managerial level or above. The executives in residence from different Chicago-area accounting firms and organizations visit campus one day per week to hold 15-minute
appointments with students. Students often use the time to gain career insights, practice interviewing skills or conduct informational interviews.
“I like that there’s no agenda, so you can steer the conversation any way you want,” shares Michael Soroka, an accountancy junior who participated in the program.
“At DePaul, we have found an effective and sustainable way to engage the professional community in the student learning experience. Not just as occasional classroom speakers but as partners in educating the next generation of accounting professionals.” – Margaret Tower, accountancy instructor
“This was a great opportunity for me to practice my networking skills,” says Sarah Feroz, a Strobel accountancy honors freshman. “I got to learn about what an ideal intern looks like for major firms and how to get involved with firms early on.”
RSM Partner Dan Levenson (MBA ’94) also spoke highly of his experience as an executive in residence. “I really enjoyed getting to know students through this program. It’s a perfect opportunity to spend some informal time sharing about the profession and helping students figure out what path they want their career to take.”
The firms love the exposure, says Tower, and the faculty members also benefit from the relationship-building that comes out of the rotating schedule of professionals visiting campus every week.
Professional development workshops are another key component of the student success office. Quarterly workshops and training sessions cover topics that range from how to develop a successful mentoring relationship to how to successfully transition into internships or full-time positions. “Whether a student visits the DePaul Career Center or the student success office seeking resources, we want the message to be consistent, so it was very important for us to collaborate on this front,” says Tower. “The goal is to supplement the resources offered by the Career Center.”
The student success office also has partnered with the Career Center to begin integrating career coaching into the School of Accounting & MIS tutoring lab’s services. The goal is to provide career-related support alongside academic tutoring. The graduate assistants (GAs) who run the tutoring lab will be trained by career advisers on topics like résumé building and interview preparation.
“The idea is for GAs to share their knowledge with students about experiences that they themselves have gone through,” explains Tower. “We want GAs who have had internships to give students advice on how to navigate or prepare for internships, or GAs who have gone through an interview process to provide tips on how students can prepare for that process. Peer support is a powerful tool, so we are trying to facilitate opportunities for these interactions to happen.”
Another goal of the office is to collaborate with accounting student organizations on campus by sponsoring events or supporting their activities. Student organizations are often looking for access to the professional community, whether for networking receptions or speaking engagements. The student success office will serve as a resource with its database of professionals that students can tap into. Encouraging student organizations to collaborate on events, especially when bringing speakers to campus, also will help create stronger programming and a more organized calendar of events throughout the year.
Looking ahead, the office has plans to expand the mentoring program and eventually create a job shadow program, leveraging the strong network of professionals and alumni that Tower has developed through her career management course.
By integrating the school’s advising, tutoring and career services and providing channels for students to connect with accountancy firms, the new Office of Student Success and Engagement is on a mission to provide students all the tools and resources they need to be successful after graduation. If you’re interested in getting involved in these efforts by serving as a mentor, becoming an executive in residence or collaborating on an initiative, Tower invites you to contact her at mtower@depaul.edu.
By Nadia Alfadel Coloma | Photos by Kathy Hillegonds